Apparatus for checking receipts



Jan. 17, 1939. E. K. PORTMAN-DIXON 2,144,564

APPARATUS FOR CHECKING RECEIPTS Filed July 26, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 m I i I; f; u I [HI I l [I E i I I I, I l 55 U 14 12 I 56 i 1 z v H I 12 D W I Fig. 1. I

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er 17132072,. MM -21010.

Jan. 17, 1939. E. K. PORTMAN-DIXON 2,144,564

APPARATUS FOR CHECKING RECEIPTS Filed July 26, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 17, 1939 ATE-NT OFFIQE 7 APPARATUS FOR CHECKING REGEIPTS 'ErnestKemp Portman-Dixon, Teddingto-n, England Application July 26,1938, Serial No. 221,454

In Great Britain June 23, 1937 2 Claims.

This invention relates broadly to apparatus for checking receipts-and, more sp'ecifica-lly, it refers to the filing ofthe counterfoils of bills such as are presented to customers for'cash payments in-cafs,

5 restaurants, railwaydining cars, air liners, pleasure steamers, shops, stores,and elsewhere, for goods supplied or refreshments consumed; and

the invention has for'its principal object to prevent, or to-faci-litate the detection of, the commission of fraud by the'improper presentation by an employee of the same bill to a number 'ofcustomers, another object being to enablethe records of cash sales tobe-easi-lyand-expeditiously filed in security until such time-as it may be con-- venient or necessary to makeupthe books and/or check the daily or weekly takings. I

In the present system-of collecting cashpayments from customers in the circumstances-referred to above,-it is "usualfor the employee to present to the customer a written and generally serially numbered bill (ordinarily on a sheet or slip of thin paper) and, having receivedpayment, to cancel the bill by'detaching therefroma perforated and correspondingly serially numbered marginal portion thereof, one portion beingre tained by the customer and the other by the employee for placing eitheron-or in some form -offile to await the checking of the cash received. If the cancellation portion or counterfoil be not detached immediately payment is received-and the customer is not vigilant, it is possible for the same bill to be presented to one or more other customers so that the employee maycollect monies in respect of which he has not made out the requisite bill orbills. On the other hand, these counterfoils sometimes become mislaid or lost and accurate checking of the cash sales is then rendered impossible.

According to the present invention, a bill of the kind referred to is cancelled by manually operated means which sever therefrom a portion thereof showing the amount of the purchase involved,.which portion is immediately thereafter mechanically impaled upon a filing member from which it is incapable of unauthorized withdrawal.

The severing means and the filing member are preferably disposed within a locked receptacle through which an actuator projects and which is provided with a slot for the introduction of the portion of the bill that is to be cancelled.

Means may be provided, if desired, preferably operating in conjunction with said actuator, whereby to receipt that portion of the bill to be returned to the customer.

In addition, means such as any known type of counter mechanism coacti-ng with said actuator maybe provided in order'to indicate the number oftimes thesevering mechanism has been operated.

The portion severed from a bill may be of any .5 shape or size, cut partly from the length and partly from the breadth, or cut entirely from the length or entirely from the breadth of the bill, or cut from within theedgesthereof.

The receipting of that portion of the bill for re- 10 turn to a customer may be effected either by printing, stamping or perforating the-same, and when receipting mechanism is employed the receptacle is preferably-provided or constructed with means to support the'bill externally of the receptacle.

One constructional embodiment of the invention is-illustrated by way o'f-example inthe accompanying drawings in which Figuresl and 2 are, respectively, a front anda side view of the apparatus. Figures 3, 4, 5 and '6 are vertical sections, Figures 3 and 5, which are simila-rviewsof the parts" in different positions, being taken on the line y, in Figure 6 in the direction of the arrows -3, 3, Fl e 4-being taken on the same line in the-directio-nof thearrows 4, 4, and Figure 6 being takenorr the hue 2,2, in Figure 5 inthe direction of-the arrows 6,6. Figure '7 is a plan view with the cover opened. I

H] is an enclosed metal casing to the interior of which access may be had by way of a hinged door I I in front secured by a lock [2. The top of the casing is closed by a non-removable cover 13, a short distance below which aflared or flanged slot Hi is-formed partly in the front wall and partly inan adjacent side wall of the casing,pand within thecasing adjacent the slot M are fixed horizontal guides constituting a skeletonplaten IE to support a counterfoil when inserted through the slot I4, asshown indot-and-dash lines in 4.0 Figure '7. v

Also within the'ca-sing and adjacent the slot Hi are arranged severing means comprising, a stationary-blade 16 fixed to the side wall of the casing 10 (Fig. 3) and having pivoted to it at IT a movable blade l8, and a stationary blade l9 fixed to the front wall of the casing (Fig. 6) and having pivoted to it at 20 a movable blade 2|, these blades 18 and 2| being respectively provided with return springs 22 and 23 anchored by fixed pins 24 and 25.

26 is a finger borne at the lower end of an actuator or pull-rod 21 extending vertically upwards of the casing l0 through slotted guides or brackets 28 and 29 and bent horizontally forwardly at a the other its upper end, this pull-rod havinga return spring 30 anchored between a pin 3| on the bracket 29 and an arm 32 (Figs. 3 and 5) projecting from the rod 21.

33 is a spiked prong located centrally of and terminating below the level of the skeleton platen I5 and, for convenience, having its lower end fixed to a base plate 34 which slides under flanged guides 35, 35, secured at the bottom of the easing l0.

Projecting laterally from one side of the pullrod 21 is an arm 36 (Figs. 4 and 6) which is adapted to contact with the actuating lever 31 of a counting indicator 38 fixed to one side wall of the casing outer extremity one end of a return spring'39 end of which is anchored to a short post 40 fixed to the bottom'of the casing.

Also, projecting laterally from the pull-rod 21, on the opposite side thereof from the arm 36, is a lug or detent 4| adapted to ride over the toothed face 42 of a block 43 mounted slidably in horizontal guides 44, 44, wherein the block is controlled by return springs 45, 45.

Mounted pivotally at'46 in a slot 41 in the pullrod 21, above the level of the upper extremity of the spiked prong 33, is a beam 48 the forward end of which'c arriesa presser member in the form of an apertured plate 49 and the rearward end of which is enlarged or carries a counterweight 50, and in rear of the pull-rod 21 an upwardly projecting lug or stop 5| is formed on or carried by the bracket 29. r

The horizontal forwardly projecting upper end of the pull-rod 21extends into the front upper portion of the head of the casing and isapertured to engage slidably three posts 52, 52, 52, serving as guides for the enlarged end 53 of the pull-rod which carries a series of perforator' pins 54 arranged in the form of the word Paid. andadapted to pass into corresponding apertures'in perforated plates 55 and 56 constituting flanges adjacent to the upper and lower edges respectively of the slot l4 (Figs. 3 and 5).

The horizontal forwardly projecting upper end of the pull-rod 21 is formed with a transverse plate 51 adapted to contact with the hinged blades 8 and 2| (Figs. 3, 5 and 6) in order that, when the pull-rod 21 is'operated, these blades may be causedto close on their co-acting blades I6 and l9. 7

The operation of the apparatus is as follows in order to cancel a bill.

When the bill has been made out, the lower end, which bears near one corner thereof the figures indicating the amount of the purchase involved, is inserted through the slot I4, as indicated by the dot-and-dash lines in Figure 7, and the actuator or pull-rod 21 is drawn down to the full extent of its movement, that is to say from the position in which it is shown in Figure 3 into the position in which it is shown in Figure 5.

Initially, the perforator pins 54 pierce the bill and thereby hold it firmly on the shelf or plate 56 ID, the lever 31 having attached to its ure 3.

as the transverse plate 51 comes into operation and presses the hinged blades l8 and 2| downvvardly into action with their co-acting fixed blades l6 and I9, thereby severing from the bill the required portion which drops on to the skeleton platen I5. Thereupon, as the rod 21 continues to descend, the presser member 49 is moved angularly downwards by being brought into contact with the stop 5| and forces the severed portion of the bill through the platen I5 and impales it onthe post 33 down which the severed portion ultimately drops, as seen clearly in Figure 5.

During the downward stroke of the rod 21 the arm 36 on it strikes, the actuating lever 31 of the counter 38, and the detent 4| on the rod 21 passes over the toothed face 42 of the springcontrolled slidable block 43 and, if the rod 21 has been pulled down to its full extent, the detent 4| passes beneath the inclined lower surface of the toothed face 42 (as shown in Figure 5) and,

on the return stroke of the rod 21 it rides up the rear face and regains the position shown in Fig- If, however, the rod 21 is inadvertently not pulled down to the 'full extent, the detent 4| engages with the toothed face 42 and prevents the return of the rod 21 to its uppermost position until it has been pulled down to the full extent.

When the rod 21 is locked in an intermediate position the perforator pins 54 remain engaged with the bill which is not released until a full stroke of the rod 21 has been completed.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for checking receipts, comprising alocked receptacle formed with an admission slot for the introduction of aportion of a bill to be cancelled, angularly movable cutters located interiorly of said casing adjacent said slot, a filing post within said receptacle, guides to sup: port the inserted portion ofthe bill, an angularly movable presser member adapted to be brought into contact with the inserted portion of the bill, and a pull-rod serving on its outward stroke to actuate in succession the cutters and the presser teriorly of said casing adjacent said slot, a filing I post within said receptacle, guides to support the V inserted portion of the bill, an angularly movable presser member adapted to be brought into contact with the inserted portion of the bill, a pullrod serving on its outward stroke to actuate in succession the cutters and the whereby to sever and impale on the filing post a portion of the bill showing the amount of the purchase involved, and perforating means operable just prior to said cutters to receipt that por tion of the bill not filed. I

presser member ERNEST KEMP PORTMAN-DIXON. 

